Babysitting
by sue-sylvester-shuffle
Summary: When Korra and Asami have to go on a business trip, they leave their baby son with Mako and Wu. The two men soon realize that maybe having a kid or two of their own wouldn't be the worst thing in the world… would it? (WUKO. KORRASAMI. COMPLETE.)
1. The Business Trip

**AN:** In this chapter, Wu says, "I feel pukey", which is an inside joke between me and one of my best friends. So... this one's for you, Ms. Varrick. :-)

* * *

"Do you have a four?"

"No. Go fish."

"Again? Come on, Mako, I've got the whole deck in my hand!"

The firebender shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, I don't have a four." he said.

Wu rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine." He plucked a card from the rapidly dwindling deck. "But just know that you're lucky I love you."

Mako smirked. He'd trained with Wu before, and the ex-prince's punches didn't hurt him at all. "Oh yeah? What would you do to me otherwise?"

"I don't know. But it would be bad." replied Wu, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically. Playing cards flew everywhere as he did so.

His boyfriend laughed. "Nice going, Wu."

"Oh, shut up."

Before Mako could respond, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it." he said, tossing his cards down onto the table and standing up.

When he opened the door, he found Korra and Asami standing there. The latter was holding their baby, Hiroshi Sato Jr. "Hey, Mako!" exclaimed the Avatar, grinning widely.

"Korra! Asami!" Mako replied, as excitement spread through him. It had been a while since he had seen his friends. "How are you guys? I haven't seen you since we came to visit the baby. That was, what, two months ago?"

"Right, well, we've been busy." Asami laughed. "How are you, Mako? Is Wu here?"

Right on cue, the ex-prince appeared behind Mako. "Hello, ladies. And hello, baby."

"We're both doing well." Mako told Korra and Asami. "How's the baby?"

"He's great!" Korra shouted. When the others all looked startled, the dark-skinned girl blushed. "Sorry. I'm still just really excited to be a mom."

"We both are." added Asami, resting her head on Korra's shoulder.

Mako smiled. "I'm so happy for you two." he said. "Now, what can we do for you?"

"Is this a bad time?" asked Asami anxiously.

"Nah, I was just beating Mako at cards." Wu responded proudly.

Mako rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure you were."

The two young women laughed. "Well, we have a favour to ask you then."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Asami and I have to go out to the Fire Nation on some business trip." Korra explained. "We can't bring Hiroshi with us. I would Tenzin and his family to take him, but apparently there's some weird bison flu going around out there, and we don't want him to catch it. Sooo… you're kind of our only hope."

"You want us to take your kid?" Mako asked incredulously. He'd never been good with children. "For how long?"

"Three days." Asami answered. "It's not that long, and-"

"We'll do it!" Wu exclaimed. He reached over and took Hiroshi from Asami's arms. "Ooh, who's a good baby? Who's a good baby?" He tickled the child under his chin.

"Great!" Korra said. "Well, we kinda knew you'd say yes, 'cause we have all of his stuff in the Satomobile. I'll be right back." She headed outside, and Asami followed her.

Mako was eying the baby with some apprehension. Wu was playing with him, and he was giggling uncontrollably in that cute way babies do. "This is great, Mako!" Wu told his boyfriend. "I've always loved kids. Well, except when they-"

Splat. Hiroshi spat up all over Wu. The ex-prince shrieked and thrust him at Mako. "Take him! Take him! Eugghhh, that's disgusting! Mako, I feel pukey!"

"Not in here." Mako grumbled, taking the baby from Wu. Thankfully, Hiroshi hadn't gotten any spit-up on himself, only on Wu.

The dark-skinned ex-prince dashed for the bathroom. Mako sighed. "Two minutes in, and it's already hell." he muttered to himself.

A few moments later, Korra and Asami returned with armfuls of baby stuff. "Here you go." said Asami. "Where did Wu go?"

"He's throwing up in the bathroom." Mako replied flatly.

The two young women looked concerned. "He is? Does he have that weird bison flu too?" asked Korra.

"No, the baby spat up on him and now he feels 'pukey', as he put it."

"Oh." The Avatar laughed. "Okay then. Well, here's all of Hiroshi's stuff. Baby food, diapers, et cetera. We'll be back on Thursday for him."

"All right." Mako said miserably. "Have a good time. We'll see you on Thursday."

"Bye, Mako. And thank you so much!"

"Tell Wu we say thank you too." added Asami. She and Korra both kissed their son before they left Mako and Wu's house. Mako looked down at the boxes of diapers and baby food at his feet, and sighed. The next three days were going to be… interesting, to say the least.


	2. Baby Sandwich

"Do you think babies really like this mushy stuff?" Wu wondered out loud. Mako looked up from the newspaper he was reading and glanced over to see the dark-skinned young man sniffing a spoonful of Hiroshi's food.

"Don't eat that, Wu." said Mako flatly.

"I wasn't _going_ to. Though I _do_ wonder what it tastes like…"

Mako watched, half horrified and half intrigued, as Wu tentatively touched the mush with his tongue. Immediately, the ex-prince recoiled in disgust. "Ugghh! Oh, Mako, this is _disgusting!_ "

"I told you not to eat it!" Mako responded exasperatedly.

"Well, _sorry,_ Mako! I'm a curious guy." Wu snapped. "Maybe we should find some better tasting food for Hiroshi?"

"He can't eat anything else, Wu, he's a baby. Just feed him that."

"Okay." Wu extended the spoon to Hiroshi, who was sitting in his high chair in their kitchen. The baby smacked the spoon away, splattering the green mush all over the ex-prince.

"Ah! This baby hates me!" grumbled Wu. "Mako, you try."

"Wu, I'm busy."

"You're reading the newspaper!"

Mako sighed. "Fine." He put down the newspaper, and trudged over to where Wu was attempting to feed Hiroshi. Taking the spoon from his boyfriend, the firebender held it out to the baby. "Hey." he said rather awkwardly to the child. "Are you hungry?"

Obviously, he didn't respond. Mako put the spoon to the child's lips. "Open." he told Hiroshi. Surprisingly, the child did what Mako said. Mako fed him the spoonful.

"Hey! That was great!" exclaimed Wu, throwing his arms around his boyfriend's neck. Mako smiled up at him.

"I guess I just have the air of a leader."

"So do I! I was going to be the king of the Earth Kingdom, remember?"'

Mako laughed softly. "Yeah, unfortunately I do remember. I'm glad that's all over."

"Me too." Wu planted a quick kiss on Mako's cheek. "Although I do miss those royal taffeta pantaloons..."

"I sure don't."

xXx

That evening, Mako was in the kitchen, making a pot of tea for himself and Wu. The ex-prince was in the living room, reading children's stories to Hiroshi. From what Mako had seen, Hiroshi was enjoying himself. At one point, he'd grabbed onto Wu's hair curl and pulled on it. Wu hadn't enjoyed that part, but other than that, he seemed to be having a good time too.

As Mako brought the tea out, he said, "I think it's time for Hiroshi to go to bed."

Wu was sitting on the floor with Hiroshi on his lap. Children's books were scattered all around them. "Right." he replied, grinning. "We're almost done this story."

Mako sat down on the floor next to his boyfriend and handed him a cup of tea. "Where do you think we should put the crib?" he asked.

The ex-prince sipped his tea. "Actually, I was thinking… what if Hiroshi came and slept in our bed? With us?"

For a second, Mako was six years old again, nestled between his parents in their bed, with Bolin's tiny body curled up next to his. It had been such a warm and loving environment, and he'd never had any problems sleeping. It was only after that, when he and Bolin had had to huddle together on the cold pavement, that he had found himself struggling to keep his eyes closed.

"I think that's a good idea, Wu." he responded quietly. It had been years since he'd had a real family. Finding his paternal relatives in Ba Sing Se had been wonderful; finding the love of his life had been more so; this would be the perfect next piece to the puzzle.

"Really? Great!" Wu put down the story he was reading, and stood up with Hiroshi in his arms. "Okay, why don't I get him into his pyjamas, and I'll meet you in there?"

"Sounds good. I'll clean up these books." Mako offered, standing up as well.

"Thanks. I love you." Wu stood on his tiptoes and kissed him. Mako ruffled his boyfriend's carefully groomed hair just as he was carrying Hiroshi out. The firebender smirked at the annoyed, "Hey!" that came from the dark-skinned young man as he walked away.

Mako quickly gathered the children's books into a pile while silently enjoying some of the titles. They ranged from, ' _Avatar Aang and the Naughty Waterbenders_ ' to ' _Help! A Hog Monkey Stole My Keys!_ ' That second one sounded like an excuse Wu would use.

After that, he cleaned up the tea, and went to get into his pyjamas. The ex-prince was already in their bedroom, getting Hiroshi tucked into bed.

"Mako! Not in front of the baby!" exclaimed Wu as Mako began to undress. The latter rolled his eyes, and continued taking off his clothes.

"Wu, he's a baby. He won't care. Aren't _you_ going to get into your pyjamas?"

"In the bathroom! I'm not changing in front of Hiroshi!"

Mako chuckled. "You're so cute."

"Well, yeah, I knew that."

Once Mako was in his pyjamas- a worn white tank top and a pair of blue striped shorts- he got into bed while Wu went to the bathroom to change. Hiroshi was looking up at him, and Mako couldn't help but smile. The child had wide green eyes; darker than Asami's, but still light. The two women had adopted him from an orphanage somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, so he had dark skin as well. It was lucky that he had these attributes of his adoptive parents. Even though he would most likely grow up to look nothing like either of his mothers, they would be able to see a little bit of themselves in him nonetheless.

"Hey there." Mako said, ruffling Hiroshi's mess of dark hair the way he did to Wu sometimes. "Are you ready for bedtime?"

Hiroshi giggled in response. Mako laughed softly. He had never really liked children very much; for all of his life, Bolin was the only child he had wanted to protect. But now Bolin was all grown up. And Hiroshi _was_ pretty cute, he had to admit.

Wu came out of the bathroom moments later, wearing a loose green t-shirt that read ' _Republic City University_ ' and a pair of pink sweatpants. A smile spread across his face at the sight of Mako and Hiroshi.

"I think you'd be a great father, Mako." the ex-prince said as he crawled into bed on Hiroshi's other side. It was like a baby sandwich.

"Really?" asked Mako dubiously. Personally, he wasn't sure. He'd raised Bolin right, but that was different. Bolin was his little brother. Could he really raise a child of his own?

"Really." Wu replied, flicking off the lights. "I love you, Mako."

Between them, Hiroshi giggled again. A soft smile spread across the firebender's face as he drifted off to sleep.

 _Maybe he would be a good father._ After all, Wu did know best.


	3. Twenty-Five Orphans

**AN:** There's a brief mention of implied Bopal in this chapter, which I'm not super happy about. I'm not really a fan of Bopal. But anyway. I go back to school on Tuesday... ugh.

* * *

Mako was normally an early riser. When he had to go to work, he was up at six-thirty sharp every morning. Even now that Lin Beifong had given him time off, his internal clock didn't let him sleep in much. Wu, on the other hand, had never had this problem. Sometimes, he wouldn't wake up until close to eleven o'clock.

It was not one of those days.

Mako was woken abruptly by the sound of Hiroshi crying. Groaning, he sat up and squinted at the baby through the blinding early morning sunlight that was leaking in through the curtains. On the far side of the bed, he could see Wu blinking sleepily. "What _time_ is it?" complained the younger man, rubbing his eyes.

"Don't know." grumbled Mako in response. He sat up and gathered Hiroshi into his lap. "What do you want? Is your diaper full?"

"Oh, Mako, if he pooped in our bed, I swear to Raava I will break something." Wu hissed.

"I don't think he did. He smells clean. Uh… are you hungry?"

Obviously, Hiroshi did nothing but cry. With a sigh, Mako climbed out of bed, still carrying the child. Wu put a pillow over his head, but Mako grabbed one of the ex-prince's skinny arms and tugged him toward the edge of the bed. "Oh no, mister. You aren't going back to sleep. Come on. This is what taking care of a baby is like."

He ended up pulling Wu right off of the bed. The younger man hit the floor with a loud squawk. "Hey! Ow! That was uncalled for!"

Hiroshi began to giggle as Wu poked his head out of the sheet he was entangled in. Startled, Mako looked from the baby to his boyfriend. "Wu, make more noises."

"What _kind_ of noises!?"

But Hiroshi wasn't crying anymore. Mako sighed in relief. "Doesn't matter now. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Wu finally managed to pull the sheets off of him and get to his feet. "I don't think I've gotten up this early since… well, ever."

"I wonder if this is what Korra and Asami have to deal with every morning."

"Poor girls." Wu laughed. "I think it must be worth it, though. I mean, if _we_ had a kid…" He trailed off, staring pointedly at Mako.

"Are you trying to ask me something?"

"No, no. But… have you thought about it, Mako? Have you thought about us… you know, having kids?"

"Not really." said Mako.

"But, a little bit?"

"Yeah, a little bit." he admitted.

They were silent for a few moments. Then, a smile spread across Wu's face. "Well, think about it some more, all right?"

"All right."

Mako headed out of the room with Hiroshi in his arms. Once they were in the kitchen, he pulled out the jar of baby food. It really did look gross. Mako glanced around to make sure Wu was still in the bedroom before tasting it. Wu hadn't overreacted at all; it _was_ disgusting. "Eughh." he mumbled, and the baby laughed.

After he had fed Hiroshi, Mako started to fry some eggs on the stove. He tried to keep his mind on cooking, but somehow his thoughts kept going back to one thing; having children with Wu. He and the ex-prince had been together for almost three years. Mako was twenty-five, and Wu was twenty-two. Marriage was definitely in the future; he couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life with anyone but Wu. And he knew that his boyfriend loved children. Mako did too. He was sure that Wu would be a great dad, but he wasn't so sure about himself. Would _he_ be a good father?

There was only one way to find out.

Mako grabbed a phone. He dialled Bolin's number, and waited for his brother to pick up.

"Hey! Bolin here." the earthbender's familiar, cheerful voice came from the phone.

"Hey, Bolin. It's Mako."

"Oh, hi, bro. What can I do for you?"

"Uh…" Mako took a deep breath. "Did I raise you well?"

There was a pause on the other line. "Did you raise me well? Um… Mako, I don't know why you're asking this, but… _yes._ I turned out great, didn't I?" He laughed. "Best of all, I turned out _alive._ It was so tough living on the streets… but you always managed to keep me healthy. So I would say yeah, you raised me well."

Mako found that he was smiling. "Thanks, Bo. And… do you think I'd be a good father?"

Bolin gasped. "Yes! Oh, Mako, _yes!_ Are you and Wu thinking about having kids? Please say you are! I want to be an uncle _so badly!_ "

"Okay, settle down." Mako laughed. "Well, we haven't officially decided yet… but we're babysitting Korra and Asami's kid for a few days, and… I don't know, we're enjoying it."

Bolin squealed. "Yes! Oh, I can't wait! You'd be an awesome dad. And so would Wu. Please say you're doing it!"

"I have to talk to Wu first. But… I think I want to be a father."

The noise that Bolin made was so loud that Mako cringed and held the phone away from his ear. "Oh, I gotta go tell Opal! Bye, Mako!"

The firebender couldn't help but be excited too. A soft smile stayed on his face as he continued cooking the eggs. And as soon as Wu came out of the bedroom, Mako said, "Can I talk to you?"

"Mm, smells good! And sure. What do you want to talk about?" All of a sudden, the ex-prince's green eyes lit up. "Oh, wait! Is this maybe in regards to what we were talking about before? About… you know… _kids?_ "

"Yeah." admitted Mako. "I was just talking to Bolin on the phone, and… well… I asked him whether he thought I'd be a good father. I mean, I raised him, so he knows first hand whether I'd be good enough to raise a couple of kids. And he said yes, he thought I would be a great dad. He said he thought you would be too, Wu. So I think… yes, I definitely want to have kids. And there's no one else I'd rather have them with." He took Wu's hands in his own. The younger man was beaming, and almost vibrating with excitement.

"Oh, _Mako!_ " Wu exclaimed, jumping up onto his tiptoes to press his lips to Mako's. The firebender lifted his boyfriend up into the air, kissing him back. He knew he'd said the right thing, because not only did it feel good, it felt _right_ in his gut. He felt Wu's arms curl around him. Mako took a step back, and immediately felt a sharp stab of pain on his lower back. Quickly, he dropped Wu, and looked around; he'd walked right into the hot stove. "Are you alright?" asked Wu.

The firebender laughed softly. "Yeah. I'm fine. How about some eggs?"

"Yes please! And… I was doing some thinking too. About the same thing."

"Uh-huh?" Mako said absentmindedly as he scooped fried eggs onto two plates.

"Well, I remember when you told me about how you and your brother lived on the streets." Wu began. Mako tensed slightly at the mention of this. "It made me so sad to think of you two out there, all alone. Cold, hungry, you know. And although I could relate to the part about your parents dying, I could never imagine what it must have been like to live on the streets. And I don't like to think of other children living like that, either. So that's why… I know you keep saying 'a couple of kids', but… we have money, we have some extra room in the house… I feel like we should adopt as many kids as we can squish in here! Because I've always hated the fact that I wasn't there to help you when _you_ were homeless… but I can help these kids. And I want to, Mako, I really do. So… what do you say?"

Mako's hands were trembling. Slowly, he put down the pan and stared pointedly at the countertop, where his clenched fists perched. A few tears rolled down his cheeks, and he quickly wiped them away. "You know, Wu…" he responded, turning around to look at his boyfriend. "You've grown so much since I first met you. When we first met, I really didn't like you. You were sixteen and so naive. It seemed like you didn't care about anyone other than yourself. If someone had told me then that you were going to be so insightful and kind… I would have laughed in their face. But you surprised everyone during Kuvira's invasion, most of all me. And you just keep on surprising me, every day. I love you so much."

Wu was grinning. "So… is that a yes?"

"Yes, of course it's a yes. Spirits, I wonder what Bolin will say when we tell them, 'oh, you know how Wu and I were talking about having kids? Well, we just adopted twenty-five orphans!'"

The younger man laughed. "Okay, maybe not twenty-five. I was thinking we could start out with one or two, and then once we get accustomed to them, we can see about more. Maybe… ten? When they get older and leave the house, we can always adopt more."

"Like an orphanage." Mako said.

"Yes, but in an orphanage, the kids are still orphans." Wu reminded him, reaching out to tickle Hiroshi. "With us, they'll have two parents who love them."

Mako nodded, placing Wu's plate in front of him and sitting down across from him at their table. It was a small table, with room for only four chairs. The firebender cracked a grin. "We'll need a bigger table soon."

"Yeah, looks like we will. And Mako?"

"Yes?"

"I love you. I'm so excited about this."

"Me too." And he was.


	4. Mako the Waterbender

**AN:** Here's one last, quick chapter before I have to go back to school tomorrow. ;m;

* * *

That afternoon, Mako and Wu had brought Hiroshi out for a walk. But as they were sitting in the park, it had started to rain. By the time the three of them got home, they were all soaked. "I think it's time we get Hiroshi into the bathtub." sighed Mako, wringing the water out of his jacket.

Wu's hair curl was sopping wet and flat, covering his face. He carefully moved it with his fingers, revealing an annoyed expression. "Why not? He's already wet."

Mako knew Wu well enough to be able to tell what he was thinking. He chuckled. "Wu, you'll dry."

"Not before I catch my death of cold. And besides, my clothes will be all wrinkled!"

"You're such a drama queen." Mako called over his shoulder as he carried the squirming baby toward the kitchen.

"Hey! That was uncalled for!"

The firebender grabbed a large mixing bowl and filled it with water. He then brought it into the bathroom, and put Hiroshi into it. The child giggled and splashed water at Mako, who grinned. "If you weren't from the Earth Kingdom, I'd say you could be a great waterbender someday."

Hiroshi responded by splashing more water at him. Mako laughed. "Hey." He splashed the baby back. "I'm a waterbender too!"

"So am I!" came Wu's voice from behind them. Mako turned around just as Wu poured a cup of water on his head. He closed his eyes as the water poured down his face, and opened them again afterward to glare at Wu.

"Hey. Don't forget, I'm also a _firebender._ " he threatened playfully, allowing a small flame to ignite in the palm of his hand.

"Ooh! Excuse me, Mr. Firebender." Wu laughed. "Didn't mean to-"

Mako pulled Hiroshi out of the mixing bowl and threw the contents of it into Wu's face. The smile slid off of the ex-prince's face as his hair curl flopped back down. "Okay, I guess I kind of deserved that." he grumbled.

"Little bit." Mako said, smirking.


	5. Of Shirtless Mako and Cuddy Kids

**AN:** So, I survived the first week of school. Today was the sixth day, and I'm ready for summer again already. Sigh... well, here's another chapter anyway. Enjoy!

P.S. I couldn't resist adding the slightest mention of Zutara into this chapter. They're my favourite ATLA/LoK ship!

* * *

That evening, while Wu was getting Hiroshi ready for bed, Mako heard the phone ringing. "Hello?" he said once he'd picked it up.

"Mako? Hey, it's Korra! How's it going over there?"

"Hey, Korra. Everything's fine over here. Don't worry about Hiroshi, he's in good hands."

"Great! How is he doing? How's Wu?"

"Everyone's well here. Listen… do you know where the orphanage in Republic City is?" asked Mako. "We can't find it on the map."

The Avatar laughed. "Don't tell me you're _already_ so sick of taking care of the baby that you're going to put him in an orphanage! Spirits, Mako, we'll be back tomorrow. You can hold on that long. I believe in you!"

Mako chuckled. "No, it's not that. Wu and I have been talking, and we-"

" _Oh my spirits!_ " Korra yelled. Mako winced and held the phone away from his ear. It was like Bolin all over again. " _Asami! Get over here! Guess what!? Oh, Asami! Come on!_ "

On the other line, Mako could hear Asami, who sounded distressed. "What is it? What's wrong? Is Hiroshi okay?"

"No, he's fine!" Korra exclaimed. "Mako and Wu are going to have kids!"

"Really?" Asami said incredulously. "Oh, give me that!" She presumably took the phone from Korra, because her voice grew louder. "Is this Mako or Wu?"

"It's Mako." He sounded vaguely embarrassed. "And we haven't decided on anything yet, but… yes, we want to be fathers."

"I'm so happy for you two." Asami replied. "You will both be wonderful parents. Keep us posted, okay?"

"Yes, of course." Mako found himself smiling. "I hope you two are having a nice trip. How's the Fire Nation?"

"Hot." said Korra flatly.

"It's very nice." added Asami. "We visited Fire Lord Zuko, and Katara was there visiting him too! They've been friends for over seventy years, you know. It's sweet. So, how have things been back in Republic City?"

"Rainy. There are _two_ babies in this house, and the twenty-two year old one keeps complaining about his clothes getting wet."

The two women laughed. "Hey, you already have parenting experience." joked Korra.

"Yeah." Mako chuckled. "I think-"

"Mako!" Wu called from the other room. "Come to bed!"

"Oh. Wu's calling me. I gotta go." Mako continued. "See you two tomorrow."

"Bye, Mako!" said Korra. "Thanks again for babysitting for us."

"No problem. Bye!"

"I told Korra and Asami about our plans to adopt." Mako told Wu as he entered the bedroom. "They were both really happy."

"I thought they would be." responded Wu. He was sitting up in their bed with Hiroshi on his lap. "I can't wait to have kids of our own, Mako… it's gonna be so great."

Mako nodded as he started undressing. "It is. I can't wait to tell everyone else. My grandmother's going to be thrilled to be a _great_ -grandmother. Doesn't that just sound so… _old?_ "

"Yeah." All of a sudden, there was a distant look in Wu's olive-green eyes, and a sadness that hung in the air. Mako realized what he'd said, and remembered that Wu didn't have any family anymore, after the Earth Queen, his great-aunt, died. The firebender sat down on the bed next to his boyfriend and put an arm around his shoulders.

"Hey. Don't be sad. I'm your family now. And we're going to have a big family, just like you always wanted. Lots of kids." he said.

Wu looked up into Mako's eyes, and then a soft smile spread across his face. "Aw, I can't stay sad when you're around. _Especially_ when you're around with your shirt off." He reached over and patted Mako's chest.

"Way to ruin a nice moment." joked Mako, but he was leaning in too. He pressed his lips against Wu's. The ex-prince wrapped his arms around Mako, kissing him back. A warm, tingly feeling shot through Mako's body. He grasped the edge of Wu's pyjama shirt and slowly started easing it upward. Wu complied, slipping his arms out of it. Just as Mako was tossing Wu's shirt aside and leaning back in toward his boyfriend, a giggle from Hiroshi made him jerk backward as if he'd been burned. The child was still on Wu's lap, and Wu looked mortified.

"Oh my spirits! Mako! What if he's been scarred for life!?" babbled the younger man.

"He's fine." Mako grumbled. Perhaps a cold shower before bed wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Wait." Wu murmured. "If we have, like, ten kids running around the house… what if we never get the chance to have sex again!?"

Mako laughed out loud before he could stop himself. "I'm sure it won't come to that."

"Okay." Wu picked Hiroshi up off of his lap and placed him on the bed between him and Mako. "Well… goodnight. Hey… it's our last night with Hiroshi! I'm gonna miss him. What a cuddly little guy!"

"We'll have more kids to cuddle with soon enough." Mako assured him.

Wu nodded. "Isn't it exciting, Mako? We're going to be parents."

"Yeah, we will be." Mako replied, and leaned over to kiss Wu on the forehead. However, the ex-prince quickly shoved him away.

"Hey! Wait! Not in front of the baby!"

"I wasn't-"

"I _know_ I'm irresistible, Mako, but please try to control yourself!"

"Fine." Mako laughed. "Goodnight, Wu."

"Goodnight, Mako. I love you."

"I love you too."


	6. The Earth Prince's Boy Toy

**AN:** So I finished this fic last night! This chapter will be the second-last one.

* * *

The next morning was a nice contrast from the previous morning's fiasco. Mako woke up by his internal clock, instead of the screaming human alarm clock lying between him and his boyfriend. He sat up, running a hand through his spiky hair, and glanced down at Wu and Hiroshi. They were both asleep, and Hiroshi had his head resting on one of Wu's arms. A small smile spread across Mako's face. He got up slowly, careful not to disturb either of them.

Korra and Asami were coming back that evening, and the two men had a lot of cleaning up to do before they arrived. Quietly, so that he didn't wake up either of the sleeping babies in the other room, he set out to gather up Hiroshi's stuff. Before he picked up anything, though, he stood, hands on his hips, admiring how different their house looked now that there was a child in it. Hiroshi's baby books were strewn on the ground; there was a little yellow onesie lying over the back of the couch; the kitchen counter was covered in tiny jars of baby food; and there was a baby gate barring Hiroshi (and Wu, who had no idea how to open it) from the basement stairs. Mako smiled. Although all of those things would leave that evening with Hiroshi and his mothers, he and Wu would gradually gather it all back again. Soon, they would have children's books and baby clothes and baby food of their own. Because soon, they would have _children_ of their own.

A wide grin found its way onto Mako's face. For a second, he had no idea why he'd ever resisted the idea.

xXx

That afternoon, Mako and Wu went down to the Republic City orphanage with Hiroshi in his stroller. They'd gotten directions from Lin, who had been seemingly very happy for them.

"I knew it was only a matter of time, now that Korra and Asami have their little _bundle of joy._ " she'd said, her tone rather dry, but Mako could sense that her words were sincere. "I'm happy for you, kid. And I'm happy for your little princess here, too."

(Wu had eventually stopped protesting when she called him 'Mako's little princess'. In fact, Mako had a sneaking suspicion that he didn't mind it at all.)

"Now, I'm sure we'll be put on a waiting list." Mako was telling Wu as they headed up the street toward the orphanage. The younger man was pushing the stroller. "So we may be waiting a year, or more."

"Oh, Mako." chuckled Wu. "I'm royalty. I'm sure I can speed the process up a little bit."

"You aren't royalty anymore."

"I'm not a _prince_ anymore. But I'm still of royal lineage! I always will be. Besides, people _know_ me, like they know Korra. And you aren't exactly some regular Joe, either, you know."

"Right. People know me as the former Earth Prince's boy toy."

"You say that like it's a bad thing!"

When they were inside the orphanage, Wu passed the stroller to his boyfriend. "I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Don't get kidnapped." Mako said, a faint smile playing around his mouth. It was a bit of a joke for them now.

Wu smiled back. "Don't worry, I won't." He walked off to the bathrooms at the back of the building. Mako brought Hiroshi up to the front desk, where a man with dark hair was sitting.

"Hello. How can I help you?" asked the man when Mako approached.

"Hi. I was hoping to look into adopting a child with my partner?" Mako replied.

"All right." The man pulled a piece of paper out from under the desk. "Your name is?"

"Mako."

"Are you married, or…?"

"No."

"Okay. Your girlfriend's name is…?"

 _Girlfriend._ Mako's stomach clenched. A strange mixture of anger and apprehension was boiling inside of him. "It's a boy." he said brusquely.

"Pardon?" the man responded, looking up from his paperwork.

"It's a boy." repeated Mako sharply. "I have a boyfriend."

The man raised an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to speak, but just then, Wu came back from the bathroom. "How's it going, Mako?" he asked, strolling rather obliviously over to them.

"Is this your…" the man began. "Wait. You're the Earth Kingdom prince, aren't you?"

" _Former_ Earth Kingdom prince." Wu corrected him, and winked.

"All right." Although it was painfully obvious that the man was uncomfortable, he went back to writing on the form. Maybe Wu's royal lineage was good for something after all. Mako was almost completely sure that had his boyfriend been anyone else, the man wouldn't have been so compliant with them. With a bisexual Avatar opening up people's minds, the world _was_ changing for the better, but they still had a long way to go.

"What was all that about?" questioned Wu when the man finally finished his paperwork and brought it into another room.

"Nothing." said Mako. "It doesn't matter."

"Okay." Wu smiled down at Hiroshi. "Your mommies are coming back today! And we're going to be daddies soon, too. Isn't that great? Maybe you'll be friends with our kids. Wouldn't that be great, Mako?"

The firebender nodded, still trying to put the awkward encounter with the clerk out of his mind. It left an uneasy feeling inside of him, even though he knew that it didn't matter what other people thought about them having kids; the only people that mattered in that equation were him and Wu. And they were both excited. That was all that counted.


	7. The End

**AN:** So here's the last chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed reading this story.

* * *

 _Knock knock knock._

"Oh!" Wu looked up from the magazine he was reading, and glanced over at Hiroshi. The child was sitting on Mako's lap while the firebender read the newspaper. "Guess who's here? It's your mothers!" He leapt to his feet, racing toward the door. Mako put down his newspaper and followed his boyfriend, carrying Hiroshi with him.

As soon as the door opened, Korra pushed Wu aside and grabbed Hiroshi from Mako's arms. "Hey, kiddo! Oh, I missed you so much!" She planted dozens of kisses on his head, squeezing him tightly. In that moment, Mako could've sworn that she was still the excitable seventeen-year-old girl he'd met so many years ago in the Pro-Bending arena.

"Welcome home!" exclaimed Wu, grinning at the two young women.

"It's great to be back!" Asami replied, coming forward to hug both Wu and Mako.

"How was your trip?" asked the firebender.

"It was great! But I'm so glad to be back with Hiroshi." Korra said.

"Thanks again, you two." Asami added. "Did you have a good time babysitting?"

"We did, actually." Mako glanced sidelong at Wu. The younger man was smiling.

"And we're happy to do it anytime!" Wu piped up. "But… y'know… we'll have a few of our own soon."

"Oh, right!" Korra's gaze snapped up from Hiroshi. She was grinning. "Have you been to the orphanage yet?"

"Yes!" Wu responded. "We're going to be hearing back from them any day now."

"That's great!" exclaimed Asami. "I'm so happy for you two. Before you know it, our kids will be having play dates together."

Mako nodded. "I can't wait." he said. "Do you two want to come in for a visit? We can make a pot of tea, and Wu bought these really nice cookies yesterday…"

"I wish we could, but Asami has some work to finish up back at home." Korra told them. "Maybe tomorrow? I'd love to catch up with both of you."

"Sure! We're free any time." Wu said.

"Great!" Asami picked up the bag of Hiroshi's things that Mako had gathered up for them. "Well, we should be heading out now. Say bye-bye, Hiroshi!"

The child didn't speak, but he did smile, and Mako could've sworn that it was directed at him and Wu. He smiled back, and Wu waved in reply.

The two women left then, taking both their son and all of the various baby items that had brought a dash of extra colour into the men's home. Mako tried not to let it bother him; those items, and that child, had not belonged to them, no matter how much they had grown to love them. But soon they would have their own children; and their own baby books; and their own little toys.

All of a sudden, Wu wrapped his arms around Mako from behind. The firebender smiled, closing his eyes. In that moment, everything was quiet and peaceful. He knew that once they had kids running around the house, it would be far from tranquil. But he was fine with that.

After all, the only time Mako enjoyed silence was when he was reading the newspaper. Other than that, it felt lonely. Wu's nonstop, excited chatter kept him feeling grounded.

How much worse could a few extra voices be, anyway?

the end


End file.
